Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mazar-i-Sharif and Kabul

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazar-i-Sharif: $292 a month against $510 in Kabul, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Mazar-i-Sharif
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Mazar-i-Sharif Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
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Kabul Living Index

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Mazar-i-Sharif

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$292

/mo nomad

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mazar-i-Sharif and in Kabul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mazar-i-Sharif and in Kabul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $292 in Mazar-i-Sharif versus $510 in Kabul.

Mazar-i-Sharif $292
Kabul $510

Estimated couple costs with rent: $461 in Mazar-i-Sharif versus $690 in Kabul.

Mazar-i-Sharif $461
Kabul $690

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $630 in Mazar-i-Sharif versus $870 in Kabul.

Mazar-i-Sharif $630
Kabul $870

Living in Mazar-i-Sharif costs roughly 43% less than in Kabul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mazar-i-Sharif 78% lower, Kabul 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.38 ؋154

$2.76 ؋179

-13.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.47 ؋1,003

$7.82 ؋507

97.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.01 ؋260

$4.61 ؋299

-13.02%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.54 ؋489

$2.36 ؋153

219.49%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.50 ؋486

$1.89 ؋122

296.83%

Cappuccino

$1.23 ؋79.8

$1.09 ؋70.7

12.84%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ؋36.96

$0.49 ؋31.84

16.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ؋19.28

$0.16 ؋10.07

87.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.65 ؋42.20

$0.83 ؋53.6

-21.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.15 ؋9.99

$0.25 ؋16.31

-40.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 ؋136

$1.88 ؋122

11.70%

Eggs

$1.65 ؋107

$1.60 ؋104

3.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 ؋486

$4.39 ؋284

70.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ؋214

$3.98 ؋258

-17.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.09 ؋395

$6.74 ؋437

-9.64%

Apples (1kg)

$0.59 ؋38.30

$0.68 ؋44.03

-13.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 ؋73.5

$0.87 ؋56.3

29.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.82 ؋53.2

$0.98 ؋63.2

-16.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 ؋39.27

$0.51 ؋32.89

19.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 ؋30.46

$0.64 ؋41.60

-26.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 ؋24.88

$0.48 ؋31.05

-20.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ؋36.54

$0.28 ؋18.05

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 ؋20.97

$0.39 ؋25.57

-17.95%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.86 ؋121

$1.82 ؋118

2.20%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ؋48.59

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 ؋65.5

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.57 ؋102

$2.45 ؋159

-35.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 ؋52.2

$0.16 ؋10.62

406.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.01 ؋1,362

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 ؋138

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 ؋31.84

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ؋98.7

$2.78 ؋180

-45.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 ؋99.4

$1.11 ؋71.7

37.84%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$9,927 ؋643.5K

$8,556 ؋554.7K

16.02%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.9K ؋2.3M

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$83.3 ؋5,399

$43.40 ؋2,814

91.89%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$16.98 ؋1,101

$12.80 ؋830

32.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$97.4 ؋6,313

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.53 ؋747

$11.11 ؋720

3.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.87 ؋251

$4.13 ؋268

-6.30%

Cinema Ticket

$4.68 ؋304

$2.39 ؋155

95.82%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$76.6 ؋4,967

$20.71 ؋1,342

270.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,075 ؋69.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.93 ؋838

$10.58 ؋686

22.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.39 ؋1,063

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.1 ؋3,766

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.48 ؋1,198

$25.16 ؋1,631

-26.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$123 ؋7,969

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$111 ؋7,208

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$221 ؋14.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$115 ؋7,432

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$688 ؋44.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$357 ؋23.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$235 ؋15.2K

$341 ؋22.1K

-31.08%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Mazar-i-Sharif: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kabul: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Mazar-i-Sharif

$105 35.8%

Kabul

$102 20% 2.8% $2.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mazar-i-Sharif

$100 * 34.3%

Kabul

$154 30.1% 53.2% $53

Eating Out

Mazar-i-Sharif

$49 16.9%

Kabul

$52 10.1% 4.7% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Mazar-i-Sharif

$21 7.2%

Kabul

$16 3.1% 24% $5

Clothing & Footwear

Mazar-i-Sharif

$14 * 4.8%

Kabul

$50 9.7% 251% $35

Getting Around

Mazar-i-Sharif

$3.2 * 1.1%

Kabul

$26 5.2% 715% $23

Accommodation & Living

Mazar-i-Sharif

- * 0%

Kabul

$111 21.8%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Kabul pays 45% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $15.00 in Mazar-i-Sharif vs $8.00 in Kabul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $105 vs $102 per month, with Kabul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Mazar-i-Sharif

🇦🇫 Kabul

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

Same time as Mazar-i-Sharif

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

300,600

3,289,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.37 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mazar-i-Sharif Kabul 310 km

From you

Mazar-i-Sharif
Kabul

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Mazar-i-Sharif vs Kabul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mazar-i-Sharif and Kabul differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($292 vs $510 including rent). Mazar-i-Sharif is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Kabul. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $76.6 in Mazar-i-Sharif versus $20.71 in Kabul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mazar-i-Sharif – a meal for two runs $15.00 versus $8.00 in Kabul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Mazar-i-Sharif gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Mazar-i-Sharif gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Kabul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.